As Ford moves away from creating sedans, it appears their focus has shifted solely to their most popular performance, SUV, and pickup models.
We’ve had the cycle of an automotive boom and then bust take place in the past and it wasn’t pretty. When gas prices increase, sales of smaller cars also increase along with hybrid models. Nearly ten years ago we were completely enamored with our large trucks and SUVs that sucked down the cheap gas we were able to buy, then suddenly, the gas prices shot through the roof. This caused the Ford F-150 to be outsold by four sedans at the time which were the Honda Civic and Accord and the Toyota Corolla and Camry models.
Have you noticed the increase in gas prices going on right now? With the cost of gas on the rise, doesn’t it seem like a bad time for Ford to ditch the sedans and focus solely on the trucks, SUVs, performance, and commercial vehicles in its lineup? It may seem like Ford is doomed to repeat history, but it also appears they have learned from their history and won’t allow another bust in the automotive industry, at least for their company, to take place. What makes this time so much different for not just Ford but most of the automakers? The answer; crossover SUVs.
Ford Learned and is Making the Right Choice
The 2008 Ford Explorer is a good example of what caused such as troublesome time in the automotive industry. This SUV was just one of the body on frame trucks that made use of V8 power and only was able to produce 16 mpg worth of fuel mileage. The Explorer of today is a unibody crossover SUV that makes use of a V6 engine to make sure you can have up to 22 mpg combined. This makes the Explorer much more efficient today than in the past.
The Ford Explorer rides on the same platform as the Taurus yet it’s more efficient. The most efficient Taurus is able to reach 21 mpg and this situation is similar across the Ford lineup with the Fusion and Edge sharing a platform with the Fusion reaching 25 mpg and the Edge 24 mpg. This small difference in the efficiency of the SUV versus the sedan version of these vehicles makes it an easy choice to select the vehicle that rides higher, allows you to have more capability, and brings the versatility needed that a sedan simply can’t offer at all.
Because the benefits of an SUV outweigh the sedans by a great deal and the efficiency between the two models on the same platform is nearly negligible, Ford won’t have to worry any more than any other automaker if there is a bust in the market and the slow-selling models that are part of the Ford lineup right now will no longer be offered. It seems like it makes perfect sense for Ford to no longer sell sedans and only offer the models it’s going to offer in the future. Along with these larger models Ford will work toward EV and hybrid technology as well.
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